relations with the u.n.. so how would you judge the current state of those relations and to paraphrase president biden, is america back at the u.n.? ms. thomas-greenfield: certainly given the fact that i am earning on a treadmill 20 47, we are back. and i will tell you that when i arrived in new york on the 25th of february, just a few hours after i was confirmed for this position, i really did hit the ground sprinting as i described it in my first of march. because within two days -- four days of arriving here, i became president of the security council on march 1. and i think there were some doubts. about whether we were truly back. we rolled up our sleeves, we really got to work in terms of rebuilding our relationships, rebuilding our alliances, re-engaging. in the multilateral system, you know, we immediately noted that we were rejoining the w.h.o.. we announced that we were rejoining the human rights commission. we started to work on rejoining the paris agreement. we really did move forward, almost like

speaking on how the u.n. functions, if we can switch to the u.n. reform agenda, i think there is broad agreement that since the u.n. was created it has served a useful function. however it is increasingly evident it could use more reforms to respond more effectively to the challenges of the 21st century. you have echoed some of these sentiments during your confirmation hearing when you stated we must have courage to insist on reforms. that would make the u.n. more efficient and effective. having observed how the u.n. operates from within over the past year what do you see the highest priority areas for reforming the u.n. system that could make it more efficient and effective? host: this is -- amb. thomas-greenfield: this is a complicated bureaucracy. it is a huge bureaucracy that is not just how we operate on the security council with the specialized agencies that are operating out there as well. our approach to the u.n. has been deliberate. it has been strategic. we have tried to be complicit in terms of extending the u.n.'s system to countries an

the u.n. security council council in less than an hour. he will be preceded by martin griffiths, who has been trying to arrange a cease-fire in ukraine. the u.s. ambassador to the u.n., linda thomas greenfield, also says the u.s. will push for russia to be suspended from the u.n. human rights council. that proposal will be introduced today and could be voted on as early as thursday. two-thirds of the u.n. members would have to agree, but judging by how many have already condemned the invasion, the proposal is expected to pass. >> russia is not backing down from its claim that the videos and images we've been showing you of mass graves and bodies in the streets are fake. on monday, the russian ambassador to the u.n. took it a step further. he argued ukraine's claims are a false flag operation designed to justify future attacks on russia and its allies. >> in the face of russia's denials, more and more evidence of brutality as we've been telling you, the images extremely difficult to look at. th

the u.n. is not associated. the u.n. was never associated to the minsk agreement or the normandy format. this was always done with france and germany. recently, i came to moscow, i had an important conversation with president erdogan, turkey has been very active in supporting the negotiaons that we are supporting those efforts but on our directly involved in peace negotiations -- we are not directly involved in peace negotiations. i asked for a truce in order to be able to exactly have orderly evacuations from different points where people arebut we wt peace in line with the u.n. charter, in line with international law, and we want to do everything we can before peace comes to support the people that are suffering in ways that are absolutely terrible. and they need and deserve our full commitment and our full support. ben: and you saw for yourself some of that suffering today. you went to some towns north of here where there are alleged war crimes. you looked like you were pretty shocked. >> the international criminal co

the u.n. charter must be restored immediately. the u.n. system must be reformed immediately so that the veto is not the right to die, that there is a fair representation in the security council of all regions of the world. the aggressor must be brought to peace immediately. the determination is needed. the massacre from syria to somalia from afghanistan to yemen and libya, that should have been stopped a long time ago to tell the truth. if tyranny had at least once received such a response to the war, it had reached, it would have ceased to exist and peace had been guaranteed after it and the world would have changed for sure. and then perhaps, there would not be war in my country against our people, against ukrainian people, against our citizens, but the world watched and did not want to see either the occupation of crimea or the war against georgia or taking the entire from moldova and how russia was preparing, but the b basis for other con flflicts an wars near the borders. how to stop it. right away, the russian military and those who

the u.n. charter must be restored immediately. the u.n. system must be reformed immediately so the veto is not the right to die, that there is a fair representation in the security council of all regions of the world. the aggressor must be brought to peace immediately. determination is needed. the massacre from syria to somalia, from afghanistan to libya, that should have been stopped a long time ago, to tell you the truth. if tyranny had at least once received such a response to the war it had it reached, it would have ceased to exist and honest peace would be guaranteed after it and the world would have changed for sure. and then, perhaps, there would not be war in my country against our people against ukrainian people, against our citizens. the world watched and did not want to see either the occupation of crimea or the war against georgia or taking the entire part from moldova and how russia was preparing the basis for other conflicts and wars near their borders. how to stop it? right away, the russian military and those who gave them

here is a u.n. briefing that says president vladimir putin agreed in principle to the involvement of the u.n. and the international committee for the evacuation of civilians from the plant in mariupol. this is the plant in question. we have talked about it a lot because we believe several hundred civilians, possibly up to 1000 are hiding in underground tunnels. there are ukrainian forces present and they are all surrounded by russian forces. if you look at this map, you can see this plant is one of the final parts of the city that is still controlled bthe ukrainians. to be clear, when russia says that humanitarian corridors are possible, that does not mean they will happen. we have seen that repeatedly. we do know antonio could taro discussed this with the russian foreign secretary survey laugh laugh -- sir -- sergei lavrov. >> there are different positions on what is happening in ukraine. according to the russian federation, what is taking p is a special military operation with the objectives that

ros: the u.n. secretary general sponded this way. >> the jury has reached a verdict and it is damming. this report of the panel of climate change is a litany of broken climate promises. it is a file of shame, cataloging the empty pledges that put us firmly on track toward an unlivable world. we are on a fast-track to climate disaster. ros: in the last few minutes, i have been speaking to the bbc news environment editor. reporter: there is an urgency we have not seen before. in the speech you just heard, he accused governments and corporations of lying. he said you make these promises and say you are changing what you are due but you are not doing it. the simple way to describe it as you are lying. that is very tough talk ahead of the u.n. i have said this before -- they are trying to grab the world by the shoulders and shake the world and say don't you get it? time is running out. in a sense, what else can the world do? it can advise, it can research the science and presented to government. what it

the u.n. has voted to suspend russia from its human rights council after allegations of war crimes by russian troops in ukraine. evidence of atrocities is growing. >> more and more credible reports of rape, killings, torture are emerging. ukraine says the battle in the east will remind the world world war ii. also coming up, 25 million people under lockdown in shanghai as covid cases rise. food supplies are running out. >> as i try to order, the basket iseing depleted. it hasone right down already. >> in the u.k., plans for eight nuclear reactors under an energy plan to reduce reliance on foreign oil and gas. we are starting with breaking news from israel. reports that at least six people have been critically wounded in a shooting in tel aviv. the shooter is still on the run. the shooting occurred in a busy area filled with shops, bars, restaurants. it is a commercial area. local media reports the attack targeted at least five locations in the commercial district. breaking news that at least s

the u.n. security council outlining the death and destruction and what has happened ever since the war begin. moscow is denying any responsibility of the bucha attack calling it staged. the meeting comes as the u.s. is calling for russia to be kicked off the human rights council. >> we also recognize that the international community must stand in clear condemnation of russia's horrific conduct. we believe it will do so once again in the general assembly. >> the white house says the u.s. and its allies will act. critics at home say the administration could be doing a lot more not only in sending aid but making sure the russians are held accountable. we heard last night from florida senator marco rubio. >> americans are losing confidence in joe biden and his ability to manage the job and to get results and changes for our country. our adversaries and allies, they start to lose confidence in our country and adversaries wonder if they can get away with certain things. >> we'll hear more about what

in moscow the u.n. secretary general told president putin's invasion contradicts the charter, but russia is not stopping the shelling. >> putin seems determined to continue the offensive he launched in ukraine to secure what he can present to the russian people as a victory. laura: a u-turn from germany's government after months of public pressure. berlin will send tanks to the ukrainians. a special report from the ukrainian village between ukraine, russia and the belarus border. reporter: russian soldiers withdrew three weeks ago, but the feeling is it could all change in a matter of minutes. laura: north korea's kim jong-un vows to speed up the battle for nuclear weapons. we hear from our correspondent in seoul. and, an all-american pickup truck that is electric. we look under the hood. ♪ laura: welcome to "bbc world news america" on pbs and around the globe. as the war in ukraine wages on, the u.n. secretary general is calling for peace between russia's leader putin and moscow. we went to kyiv. rus

so what exactly can the u.n. do? >> i think the u.n. can investigate. we know the international criminal court is already investigating and i need to add, kate, the russians are responsible for atrocities in syria and those have been investigated in an ongoing basis, probably they need to receive also more attention now, frankly, and there are a lot of genocides and also war crimes we've ignored as an international community, probably emboldening vladimir putin. i think the security council needs to continue to investigate and the general assembly, there are things they can do, the independent entities of the united nations can do more. i really hope that the international red cross can also do something, not just investigate the crimes but also on the humanitarian side. >> evelyn, thank you so much, evelyn farkas, paul eaton, thank you to you as well and i want to go back to kate bolduan in new york. but kate, these addresses we just heard, especially from president zelenskyy, i mean, he was just going after the u.n. and basically saying you can't just

the u.n. charter must be restored immediately. the u.n. system must be reformed immediately, so that the it is not the right to die. that there is rare representation of all region in the world. they must be brought to peace immediately. the massacre from syria to somalia, from afghanistan to yemen and libya, that should have been stopped a long time ago, to tell the truth. if tyranny had had received a response to the war, we had reached, it would have ceased to exist and peace would be guaranteed after it and the world would have changed for sure. and perhaps there would not be war in my country against our people. against ukrainian people, against our citizens. but the world watched and did not want to see it, either the occupation of crimea or the war against georgia or taking the entire transgression from moldova, and how russia was preparing the basis for other conflicts and wars near their borders. how to stop it? right away, the russian military and goes who gave them orders must be brought to justice immediately for war crimes in

. >> either u.n. monitoring mission has to continue registering kind committed by russia -- registering other crimes committed by russia. the russian invasion into ukraine has brought so many crimes against civilian people, against citizens, that europe has not seen since the end of the second world war. it is important that secretary guterres raised the issue of evacuating civilians from mariupol. we need the russian president statement with regards to the evacuation. it was always accompanied with bombardments. and those bombardments took place even during the negotiations between president putin and u.n. secretary general. mark: those are the words from volodymyr zelenskyy. the russian strikes that followed the visit from antonio guterres were aimed at humiliating the united nations. our correspondent has an overview. he is in kyiv. reporter: must have been something of a morale booster, i suppose that is the best we can hope for, but even after negative nancy himself admits the u.n. has not been e

as the war in ukraine wages on, the u.n. secretary general is calling for peace between russia's leader putin and moscow. we went to kyiv. russia accuses nato of waging war by sending weapons to ukraine. the defense ministers talk about increasing military support for ivy r russia editor steve rosenberg starts our coverage. steve: he was trying to show it was business as usual. in the kremlin vladimir putin began the day them, he hates losing. putin was up close and personal. not so with his next guest. the u.n. secretary general had come to talk about russia's invasion of ukraine. the seating plan said everything about moscow and the international community. >> you are telling me russia's humatarian corridors in ukraine are not functioning. mr. secretary general, you have been deceived. the core doors are open. we have helped more than 100,000 people leave mariupol. steve: from the u.n., a plea to russia for peace. >> it is my deep conviction that the sooner we end this war, the better. for the people of ukraine, for the pe

at the same time, the u.n. is providing food. the u.n. is providing refugee assistance. >> reporter: yet, in a bizarre looking glass moment on tv -- >> translator: special military operation in donbas. >> reporter: russia chaired the security council session as weapons were unleashed in ukraine. d diplomacy could not stop the killing. appoint the ukrainian ambassador as he read a letter from a 9-year-old boy to his dead mother. >> translator: you are the best mama in the world. i will never forget you. such letters should not have to be written. if they are, it means that something has gone terribly wrong, including here at the united nations. >> reporter: even so, laura, no matter how times the ukrainians ask for it, reform of the u.n. security council is not about to happen any time soon, if ever. >> fwlor yeah, thank you so much. and thank you for watching. be sure to tune in next week for "cnn tonight" at 9:00 eastern when i co-host with jim sciutto, who will be live from ukraine. the news continues next here on cnn. ( ♪ ) ♪ walki

>> this is the u.n. can make a difference, the humanitarian corridors are desperately needed, and you're right, it hasn't happened. but this is where u.n. intervention can help. the general assembly, the various entities that the u.n., the refugee agencies. the humanitarian agencies, the world food program. i think moral authority is where the international community at the u.n. and the u.n. secretary general, the most pressing humanitarian need are these opening of the humanitarian corridors. and that's not happening. what i'm saying is that the u.n. can make a difference to make this happen. and the secretary general of the u.n. is a very able guy, and i'm hoping that that's his main agenda as he's meeting with the ukrainian government. >> general clark, u.s. intelligence -- please, go ahead. >> yes. i was going to come in on what the question was, because i was -- i have greatest respect for the secretary general of u.n. i know him. but the statement he's released is actually a very dangerous thing fo

well, the u.n. has been calling for these humanitarian corridors for a while and everyone has, because what it means is that children and women who are trapped in areas of heavy fighting in mariupol and other areas can get out safely. but unfortunately, that's not happening at the moment. what we're seeing, when people do come out, they're essentially taking a massive risk to their own lives. i met children in the intensive care unit who couldn't get out of areas of heavy fighting because the was no safe passage given. and we continue to call for that because it's absolutely urgent. >> indeed. you posted a picture of a young girl called anya, who has been in a basement for basically two months, the entirety of the conflict. she's now been free to play. can you share her story with us? >> yeah. we met some families coming in from areas across theell,ou st heear bther, had spent nearly two months in a basement. and with little water, little food, little space to play, clearly, in a dark, damp environm

he said the u.n. security counl because of its veto and has been paralyzed has not been for its duty to maintain peace and security and said if the u.n. cannot be reformed it should be resolved --hould be dissolved. lewis: which is quite extreme. not much chance of that. what action is available to the international committee? >> that's right. a lot of ambassadors understood the frustration from president zelenskyy, but calls to dissolve the u.n. or kick pressure off the security council, where there is no real mechanism to do that, are not going to be gaining ground in new york but will be gaining ground possibly is kicking russia off the u.n. human rightsouncil in geneva. in order to do that, western nations are calling for a vote in the genal assembly, hoping if they get that two thirds majority of countries voting that russia can be kicked off. they are in the second year of a three year term and the u.n. ambassador to the -- the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. says it is the height of hypocrisy that

. >> translator: the u.n. security council exists and yet there is no security in the world for anyone. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> it's wednesday, april 6th, 11 a.m. in ukraine. coming up, the u. stms. is expe to announce new sanctions on russia. despite that, russia continues to step up attacks. leaders in the kharkiv region right next to russia's border say more than 50 russian strikes hit the area in the past 24 hours killing at least 6 people. meanwhile, new horrors are coming to light in the town of borodianka on the outskirts of kyiv. we'll have a report from the city in a little while. in buch a, a 6-year-old boy stands in the backyard near his mother's grave. we just heard about another one in lviv. explosions on tuesday. there were no casualties. they said two russian missiles fired from belarus were taken out. this as we're learning about another strike that hit a fuel depot in central ukraine. local official says crews have been fighting the flames for hours. there are no casualtie

the u.n. charter. what is the purpose of our organization? its purpose is to maintain peace and make sure that peace is adhered to. and now the u.n. charter is violated literally starting with the article 1. and if so, what is the point of all other articles? today, as a result of russia's actions in our country, in ukraine, the most terrible war crimes of all-time we see since the end of world war ii and they are being committed. russian troops are deliberately destroying ukrainian cities to ashes with artillery and air strikes. they are deliberately blocking, creating mass starvation. they are shooting people on the road who is trying to leave. they deliberately blow up shelters where civilians hide from air strikes. they are deliberately creating conditions in the temporarily occupied territories so that as many as civilians as possible are killed there. the massacre in our city of in bucha is only one, fortunately, only one of many examples of what the occupiers have been doing on our land

he was scolding the u.n. or the rest of the world for not doing what it was designed to do in 1949. >> that's right, andrea. president zelenskyy, asking where is the security in the security council? where is the peace? i was able to see part of the video, which, as you heard earlier, was not played right after zelenskyy did not address because of the technical glitch at the time. nonetheless, so powerful, andrea. these are images that we have begun to see the worst of it. and many ukrainians we have been speaking to on the ground, think this is just the tip of the iceberg, sadly. places like mariupol, has been shelled. but there's no way to get images out of there. the images we're seeing in bucha and surrounding cities are just the tip of the iceberg. and president zelenskyy says he expects the death toll around kyiv, to be even higher than bucha. those images you just saw there, it's powerful because you might remember, that a short time ago, a few weeks ago, there was another video, that was played in fro

>> the u.n. secretary-general holds face-to-face talks with russia's president who has agreed in principle to let the u.n. and red cross evacuate civilians from mariupol. germany is to send anti-aircraft tanks to ukraine is more than 40 countries will meet to discuss arming kyiv. ♪ >> i am lauren taylor. this is "al jazeera," live from london. we have joined detectives king up bodies for evidence of war crimes in ukraine. kim jong-un vows to ramp up north korea's nuclear arsenal. the military parade showing off its largest intercontinental ballistic missiles. beijing expands covid testing to 20 million people as it races to avoid a lockdown like the one in shanghai. ♪ lauren: russia has agreed in principle to allow the u.n. and red cross to help evacuate civilians from a steel plant in mariupol. the agreement was reached during talks with moscow between dute rres and putin. the u.s. and allies have agreed to send more heavy weaponry to ukraine. 40 countries agreed to meet monthly to discuss a

the u.n. charter must be restored immediately. the u.n. system must be reformed immediately so the veto is not the right to die, that there is a fair representation in the security council of all regions of the world. the aggressor must be brought to peace immediately. determination is needed. the massacre from syria to somalia, from afghanistan to libya, that should have been stopped a long time ago, to tell you the truth. if tyranny had at least once received such a response to the war it had it reached, it would have ceased to exist and honest peace would be guaranteed after it and the world would have changed for sure. and then, perhaps, there would not be war in my country against our people against ukrainian people, against our citizens. the world watched and did not want to see either the occupation of crimea or the war against georgia or taking the entire part from moldova and how russia was preparing the basis for other conflicts and wars near their borders. how to stop it? right away, the russian military and those who gave them

the u.n. charter must be restored immediately paid the u.n. system must be reformed immediately so that this veto is not the right to die, that there is a fair representation in the security council of all regions of the world. being brought to peace immediately, determination needed. the massacre from syria to somalia, from afghanistan to yemen and libya, that should've have been stopped a long time ago. if tyranny had seen such a response to the war we had waged, it would have ceased to exist and peace would be guaranteed after it and the world would've changed for sure. and then perhaps there would not be war in my country. our people against ukrainian people against our citizens. but the world watched and did not want to see either the occupation of crimea or the war against georgia or taking the entire -- from moldova, but the basis for other conflicts and wars at their borders. how to stop it, right away the russian military and those who gave them orders have to be brought to justice immediately for war crimes in ukraine. anyone who is

because the u.n. is destined to follow the league of nations if thins continue the way they are. >> i appreciate these conversations. we'll have you back. i love your candor. thank you for appearing on the program. and you be safe, okay? >> thank you. >>> so, what we're seeing in ukraine, the chairman of the joint chiefs warning the world is becoming more unstable. i'm going to ask a top military commander about that assessment. that's next. >>> we are entering a world that is becoming more unstable and the potential for significant international conflict between great powers is increasing, not decreasing. (johnny cash) ♪ i've traveled every road in this here land! ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ crossed the desert's bare, man. ♪ ♪ i've breathed the mountain air, man. ♪ ♪ of travel i've had my share, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere. ♪ ♪ i've been to: pittsburgh, parkersburg, ♪ ♪ gravelbourg, colorado, ♪ ♪ ellensburg, cedar city, dod

next hour, the u.n. general assembly will decide whether to suspend russia from the u.n. human rights council. the move follows the discovery of hundreds of bodies, civilians left behind after russian troops withdrew from the area around kyiv. very good morning to you. i'm jim sciutto. >> i'm bianna golodryga. good to be with you in new york. volodymyr zelenskyy is ramping up his plea for the west to impose stricter sanctions on the kremlin. he said putin will see a weak response as, quote, permission to start a new bloody wave in donbas. ukraine's foreign minister bringing a pointed message to secretary of state antony blinken when they meet in the next hour. >> my agenda is very simple, it has only three items on it. it is weapons, weapons, and weapons. >> overnight ukrainian officials say their air defenses shot down three russian cruise missiles near the city of zaporizhzhia. our team on the ground says they did hear what sounded like an aircraft and then one loud explosion. many people there now have fled the chaos unfolding in mariupol. local officials estimated mor

within the u.n. but other than just being another drop in the bucket of condemnation of russia, it's not going to make any big difference to russia. right now, biden doesn't really care about being part of the human rights council and so this suspension is not significant for there's only one of the country that has been suspended, by the way, in the past, that was libya during muammar qaddafi's time where he also ordered his soldiers to shoot civilians. what's really going to make the difference now is the provision of weapons to ukraine. if you really want russia to back off and to withdraw from ukraine, the only way to do it is make sure that ukraine has overwhelming force to meet russia and to make biden feel like he is trapped and he cannot have a success on the battlefield and that will get him to negotiate at the table and likely only that but meanwhile things like kicking them out of the human rights council and war crimes investigation are important but those are not going to put us over the

secretary general to humiliate the u.n. and everything it represents. russia continues the assault on the south and east of the country. dozens have been injured in clashes between israeli police and pal stpbians at a morning. it comes on the last friday of ramadan and follows weeks of violence at the religious site. boris booker is behind bars sentenced to two and a half years in jail. a london court convicted him of hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets after declaring bankruptcy. you are watching live from paris. thanks for joining us. russia has admitted to launching an air strike on kiefer during a visit by the u.n. secretary general gutierrez. moscow said it had deployed high precision long-range weapons in what was its first attack on the ukrainian capital in two weeks. the same day the u.n. chief toured parts of kyiv and the site of a massacre of civilians. he met with the ukrainian president zelensky said the attacks were an attempt to humiliate the u.n. and everything it represents. our regional correspondent has more. >> i'm on str

the u.n., demanding it act immediately against put on's regime or dissolve itself. cnn correspondents are standing by covering hot spots in ukraine and reaction to the war here in the u.s. and in europe. we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news. a new and truly horrifying look at russian atrocities in ukraine. cnn traveling to a town just north of kyiv to see firsthand what kremlin forces left behind. fred pleitgen is just back in the ukrainian capital after making it into borodianka. tell us what you saw there. >> hi, wolf. one of the things that became clear is there's a swath of death and destruction to the northwest of kyiv. several towns and villages we went to, to get to borodianka. each one had a large scale of destruction and also a lot of russian tanks and armored vehicles destroyed there. the russians absolutely got clobbered by the ukrainians but also a lot of civilia

the ability to prevent the u.n. security council and the u.n. itself from taking any proper action against a state for the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and as we say, possible genocide, it is at a stage now where the u.n. is needed more than it has been in its entire history. and it is lacking in power for the first time in its history. it really is a very, very disturbing time. >> watching the u.n. security council play out and deal with this is like the theater of the absurd right now. we're out of time, but thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you. thank you. >> still to come, finding safety in shelter in an office building. up next, we'll hear how one company in poland opened its doors to ukrainian refugees and opened their hearts as well. ne. smokin', yolkin', flippin', dippin'. if you're not oozing, then you're losing. tater totting, cold or hotting. memealin', feelin', pie-ing, trying. color your spread. upgradade your bread. pair it. shahare it. kraft singles. square it. >>> a growing number of ukrainians a

reporter: u.n. security council is not doing its job, then reference the first chapter of the u.n. charter which basically says the u.n. is there to keep the peace. he says if russia violated the first chapter of the charter and still sits on the security council then what is the point of the united nations? zelenskyy asked for russia to be kicked off the u.n. security council. if that is not possible the u.n. needs to show how it is changing working for peace. if nothing changes there zelenskyy says it needs to be dissolved as russia is doing more than just murdering. listen to this. >> translator: russian military looting villages they have captured, from widespread looting. they were stealing with everything, starting with food, ending with earings, gold ear thanks are pulled out and covered with blood. reporter: it is unclear if anything will actually come out of this. the u.n. has not actively taken measures against russia but condemned what is going on. charles? charles: lawrence, thank you very much. joining me now republican senator cynthia lummis of wyoming. senator, i wat

russia has veto power and is a permanent member of the u.n. what is the point of the u.n.? >> first of all, i believe anything the russians are trying to do in an international form is all a smoke screen. the united nations, i worry, as far as being able to provide muscular, if you will, peacekeeping or intervention as occurred, if you remember with the police act that occurred in 1950 that that was a united nations move to korea that brought international forces, and that seems to be gone. we are almost in a league of nations moment like in the 19 late '30s when hitler was leading, and so the u.n. on a macro scale has no teeth especially when you have a rogue member, a rogue nation like the russian federation sitting on the security council with a veto nation and another nation that is playing it multiple ways and the people's republic of china who may not be all in is abstaining on everything. yes, that's what happened in 1995 after that massacre, it took independent nations, including nato, to do an intervention like the -- again, like the -- and the u.n. was supportive

if the u.n. cannot stop a war in the 21st century in which we're witnessing war crimes, perhaps every day here, if it cannot do that, what is the u.n.'s true influence today? >> that's an extraordinarily important question and it's one that we grapple with every single day at the united nations. but we do have the power. we have the power to blunt the russian veto. we have the power to isolate russia, which we have successfully done over the course of this war. we have isolated them in the security council and as you know, in the general assembly. we have won three significant votes against russia, including suspending them from the human rights council. we call them out and condemn their actions in ukraine and we also supported humanitarian resolution, supporting the ukrainian people. our goal has always been to support ukraine, isolate russia and unify nato and the rest of the world against russia and again, this has been something that we have proudly accomplished and we will continue to work

reporter: what the u.n. has tub blished today is a road map for sabbing the world trillion the worst of climate change butt comes with a massive warni. it is now or never. the there could be no more broken prom promise on climate sa the. >> some government and business leaderringaying one thing, but doing another. simply put, they are lying. and the results will be catastrophic. reporter: but there is good news in the report. let's start there the cost of renewable technologies wind tur pines, batteries have been falling far quicker than anyone expected. as a result, the world is rapidly building solar and wind plants in fact last year, 10% of global lec electricity was generated from renewables according to report last week. buzz says the u.n., har netsing the power of the sun and the wind will not be enough. the report details how we'll also need change the way we get around. what we eat. how efficient our homes and businesses are. how we farm. how we produce the goods we by. and how we move those goods ar

at the same time, the u.n. is providing food. the u.n. is providing refugee assistance. >> reporter: yet in a bizarre looking-glass moment on tv -- >> translator: special military operation in the donbas. >> reporter: -- russia chaired the security council session as weapons were unleashed in ukraine. diplomacy could not stop the killing. a point the ukrainian ambassador made recently as he read a letter from a 9-year-old boy to his dead mother. >> translator: you are the best mama in the world. i will never forget you. such letters should not have to be written. if they are, it means that something has gone terribly wrong, including here at the united nations. >> reporter: even so, fred, no matter how many times the ukrainians ask for it, reform of the u.n. security council is not about to happen anytime soon, if ever. >> thank you so much, gloria borger. >>> still ahead, new york health officials are on alert as covid-19 cases have been on the rise in the state. while the fda granted emergency use authorization to a breathalyzer test. w

the u.n. secretary general in moscow. we'll talk about that in just a moment. but also today, a source tells cnn that american diplomats returned to ukraine for the first time since russia's invasion. they took a day trip to lviv. meantime, heavy fighting continues in ukraine's east and in kyiv, a curfew is just about to start to protect people from russia's provocative actions. also, in the capital city, crews have just begun demolishing this monument. it was erected to pay tribute to the russian-ukrainian friendship. it's been there for 40 years. >>> cnn's oren liebermann joins us from germany. oren, secretary austin said russia is waging a war of choice. tell us what happened at this defense summit today. >> reporter: well, one of the key messages we heard from defense secretary lloyd austin as well as from joint chiefs chairman general mark milley was the bottom line here and that is that they believe ukraine can win but that's contingent upon the continued flow of weapons into the country

the u.n. she said the u.s. has credible information that a russian military unit executed ukrainians who were attempting to surrender near donetsk. images and reports from here suggest that such atrocities are not the result of rogue units or individuals but instead reveal, she says, a pattern of systematic abuse. also tonight, the return of american trevor reed held in russia since the summer of 2019. released today in a prisoner swap in turkey. his parents spoke to reporters just a short time ago. >> it's not going to hit us until we see him. >> we're excited. we know he's on the plane. i think it's going to really hit us when we get to put our arms around him and hug him. >> for its part today, the kremlin flexed its economic muscle, cutting off natural gas supplies to poland, as well as bulgaria. poland's prime minister calling it a direct attack, his words, on the country, vowing not to give into what he called russian bl blackmail. vladimir putin evoked more nuclear jitters showing nonsp

the u.n. chief who was unharmed. standing alongside the ukrainian president, he pledged to do all he can to achieve peace. have a listen. >> this war must end. and peace must be established in line with a charter of operations and international law. many leaders have made many efforts to stop the fighting. but these efforts so far, have not succeeded. i'm here to say to you, mr. president, and for the people of ukraine, we will not give up. >> russia isn't making much headway in its renewed offensive in the east. the u.s. defense official, reporting russia's progress, slow and uneven. this as president zelensky said ten russian services have been identified as suspects of crimes committed in bucha. that's where scores of civilians were found dead after russians pulled out. mr. zelensky is vowing to hold those responsible accountable. >> translator: we know all of the details now and their actions. and we will find everyone. just as we will find all of the other russian thugs who killed and tor

as former u.n. ambassador bill richardson points out, it's all about keeping power. >> i'm being honest with you. i don't think anyone's going to want to give up their veto. >> reporter: and russia is not about to vote itself off the security council either. although weeks ago, it was condemned twice by the u.n. general assembly. but those were nonbinding resolutions. russia was also thrown off the human rights council, but even that wasn't a unanimous decision. >> here's the real headline. a majority of the members of the united nations did not vote to expel russia. >> what does that tell you? >> it tells you russia has significant support around the world. >> reporter: what putin really cares about is the stature permanent membership on the security council confers. >> now, in the real world, russia is not that important. it's china and the u.s. that are the dominant players. but in the security council, the russians stand as equals to the u.s., and they're very, very proud of having that status.

the u.n. charter must be restored immediately the u.n. system must be reformed immediately so that the veto is not the so that the veto is not right to die the aggressor must be brought to peace immediately. determination is needed. the massacre from syria to somalia from afghanistan to yemen and libya, that should have been stopped long time ago to tell you the truth. if tyranny had at least once received such a response to the war we have reached, it would have ceased and the world would have changed for sure. and then perhaps there would not be war in my country against our people, against ukrainian people against our citizens but the world watched and did not want to see either the occupation of crimea or the war against georgia or taking the entire from muldova, how russia was preparing the basis for other conflicts and wars near their borders. how to stop it right away the russian military and those who gave them orders must be brought to justice immediately for war crimes in ukraine. anyone that's given criminal orders and carried

what he demanded today from the u.n. security council. also tonight, dangerous storms on the move in the south, several reported tornadoes touching down. al roker is tracking it. >> two more arrests in the deadly mass shooting investigation in sacramento. one man charged with having a machine gun. >>> ivanka trump testified before the january 6th committee, what they hope to learn about what, if anything, she did to stop the attack >>> barack obama's return. what brought him back to the white house for the first time since leaving office the fleecing of america, covid relief money used for luxury homes, ferraris and private flights. why many will never face justice. >>> and tiger woods, a little more than a year after his near-fatal crash goes for his sixth green jacket at the masters. >>> this is "nbc nightly news with lester holt". >>> good evening all the denials in the world cannot ease or diminish the impact of the disturbing images we're about to show you and what they tell us about the terror inflicted on the town of bucha, ukraine

and u.n. secretary general good terrorists travels to moscow to meet with putin in a bid to mediate the conflict, put degrees on principle to allow you and and red cross involvement in the evacuation of mario poll. -- pariupol. ♪ >> the u.s. is promising to keep moving heaven and earth to supply ukraine with weapons, promise made by secretary of defense lloyd austin at rams time airbase in germany. officials from 40 countries have convened to galvanize international support. for more on this u.s. led initiative, let's speak to david smith, reporting from washington dc. david, thanks for joining us. lloyd austin who said ukraine clearly believes it can win, and does everyone in attendance. that's right, lloyd austin praised the courage of the ukrainian people and said it will go down in military history. he stood by some recent remarks where he said one of the objectives is to see russia weakened so it cannot threaten other neighbors, and he said that has been borne out by the reality on the

it is an important sounding body, right, given the u.n. charter is dedicated to the defense of human rights. but in their attempt to be inclusive, the council has a record of letting some countries with extensive alleged human rights abuses sit on the council. this includes venezuela, china, cuba, and, you guessed it, russia. now the biden administration is pushing to suspend the kremlin from the human rights council, its participation is just too sick a joke to sustain. some folks will look at this and russia's permanent seat on the security council and say that the united nations itself is hopelessly compromised. that's shortsighted. for all its flaws, the world is far better off with the u.n. than without it. that doesn't mean that america shouldn't look to build additional alliances between democracies or atlantic trading partners. in this contrast between democracy and autocracy, we need to combine strength of liberal democracies to stand up for the rule of law. because that's what's also been assaulted in putin's invasion of ukraine.

. >> if the u.n. cannot stop a war in the 21st century in which we're witnessing war crimes perhaps every day here, if it cannot do that, what is the u.n.'s true influence today? >> that's an extraordinarily important question, and it's one that we grapple with every single day at the united nations. but we do have the power. we have the power to blunt the russian veto. we have the power to isolate russia, which we have successfully done over the course of this war. we have isolated them in the security council. and as you know, in the general assembly. >> isolate but not yet stop. that is the hard fact of this war as we continue to watch it play out. i'm joined now by arseni yatsenyuk. he's the former prime minister of ukraine. sir, thanks very much for joining us tonight. >> thanks for having me. >> i wonder what your reaction is to hear the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. there saying the u.s., its allies have been successful in isolating russia. and that's true largely, although russia certainly has i

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it comes as pressure confirms it fired missiles into kyiv during a visit by the u.n. secretary general. >> the mayor in kyiv now says 100 civilians have been killed and ukraine's capital alone in a war russia began over two months ago and shows no sign it wants to stop. host: a retired afghan general has told the bbc that he and other former soldiers and politicians are prepared to launch a military offensive against the taliban. across india, pakist and bangladesh, a crippling heatwave which is temperatures higher. we will hear from our correspondent on the ground. plus, former tennis star boris becker has been jailed for nkrupt fraud after hiding more than $3 million in assets and loans. that is still ahead. ♪ welcome to world news america on pbs and around the globe. president zelenskyy of ukraine says there is a high risk that peace talks with russia will come to an end because of the actions of russia's troops. moscow again faced worldwide condemnation, this time after launching a missile attack in kyiv last night as the head of the u.n. was viting the city. uk

reporter: what the u.n. has tub blished today is a road map for sabbing the world trillion the worst of climate change butt comes with a massive warni. it is now or never. the there could be no more broken prom promise on climate sa the. >> some government and busess leaderringaying one thing, but doing another. simply put, they are lying. and the results will be catastrophic. reporter: but there is good news in the report. let's start there the cost of renewable technologies wind tur pines, batteries have been falling far quicker than anyone expected. as a result, the world is rapidly building solar and wind plants in fact last year, 10% of global lec electricity was generated from renewables according to report last week. buzz says the u.n., har netsing the power of the sun and the wind will not be enough. the report details how we'll also need change the way we get around. what we eat. how efficient our homes and businesses are. how we farm. how we produce the goods we by. and how we move those goods arou